I'm always super excited about a new Julie Falatko book -- just preordered Chester! And YES on art museums, and illusion setups and Jenny Offhill (well, the ones I've read, which I apparently need to broaden, stat!)
HOWEVER--and I realize this was not at all what the intent of talking about leg warmers was--I would pay a shocking amount of money to once again feel as "leggy" and cool as I did back when I was a kid wearing leg warmers; I wore the *ish out of mine. 😂 (My legs, sadly...never that twiggy again post-puberty so it's a lost cause now.) https://photos.app.goo.gl/WWr11vGufo5RUi3d8
Style ICON look at those things! Maybe we were all ruined by Flashdance? Wearing legwarmers and cutting off our sweatshirt collars (although I still do that one sometimes).
Thank you for preordering Chester!!! He's going to save the country.
That's a big 10-4 on Flashdance--which was the FIRST movie I ever saw in a movie theater! (Because my Mom didn't want to pay for a babysitter.) And I honestly think it, paired with Mr. Rogers, was part of why I was (subconsciously) super excited to go to college in Pittsburgh!
How were the Montreal bagels? So glad you had a great trip!
Love your new course and peptalk ideas -- I'm always fascinated how creators diversify their income and it has been cool to see you build out courses and other ideas.
I've felt so more in tune with myself since taking your Map course. Thanks again!
The bagels were EXCELLENT. Although I'd posit that the best bagels in the world are in my Maine town (https://www.scratchbakingco.com/).
I'm so, so glad you've been feeling more in tune with yourself. Honestly, I have too! And yeah, the last year or so has been all about diversifying the income. Or just: getting an income. Last year wasn't a great year as far as author income, and I'm trying to do what I can to make money in other ways that are still author-adjacent. I'm definitely playing around a lot, to see what works. (Maybe playing around too much? I do wonder sometimes if the best route is still to ignore everyone and write for four hours a day and then stare into space for the rest of the hours.)
I'm so glad to hear you are as well :) And that is so smart. I'm just on the debut end of things, but I've heard from a lot of people that you can't really count on a steady income in this career -- even after being established or having a crazy awesome year. Which kinda sucks haha. So I think it is genius to figure out ways to have some more reliable income. But also...it feels like classes and workshops and critiques take a lot of extra hours, so I'm trying to wrap my brain around how to make sure I have the bandwidth to make books while also trying to build those other forms of income. It is a lot to juggle!
All this to say...what you've done so far is really cool and impressive :)
Filterworld sounds incredible. Thanks for putting it on my radar. Thanks also for this incredible piece, which says out loud so many of the things about art and creating and social media that I’ve been quietly thinking.
Julie, I created a Facebook Page a few years back that eventually got 500,000 followers. I made videos that took me all of 6-8 hours to make, and a lot of times they'd go viral pretty easily. Why? Cause I made videos about the Philippines, the social media capital of the world, and Filipinos really appreciated that and shared my videos everywhere all the time. I grew quickly, even though a lot of the videos that I made were objectively trash. I deleted my page a few years after I started it. There is so much B.S. on the internet today. So much copying and growth hacking and little to no real substance anywhere. It's really hard to find. But I found some substance here with you. I'm subscribing. I hope you keep writing!!
The fact that the videos took 6-8 hours to make is really what stands out to me. And maybe that means they weren't actually "trash" -- but also, if you can put all that energy into that, you clearly could put that energy into something else. I've really been thinking so much about how much social media aligned seamlessly with my desire for external validation, and fed it constantly, so suddenly I forgot what it was like to have any *internal* validation. It has really been a process to break away from that and get back to making and doing things without showing them to people on the internet constantly.
Julie I feel that. I've had a very complicated relationship with social media the last few years, and I've had a downturn the last 18 months or so where people just seemed less interested in what I was saying. I'm starting to regain a little of the old validation I used to feel here on Substack, and now I feel like I have to play a little defense and keep reminding myself that no matter how well a post does or how well my writing gets received, I need to understand that my value as a person is not attached to any of that shit. I wasn't playing ANY defense in the past in this regard, and I think I got really screwed up because of it. Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful comment back.
Yeah, that all feels the same for me. Social media is such an easy place to get validation, and it often can feel like (and maybe is) actual true validation. It took me a while before I realized the effect it was having on me, and I've spent a few years getting back to myself and trusting myself again.
OK so first, I'd like Chester Barkingham to be our president. I bet he likes most humans and wants them to be happy. I think dogs are better people than people. At the very least we'd have a lot more fun!
I value originality and creativity and I have an internal radar that is always scanning the world for "delight:" ideas, people, things that combine the element of surprise with joy. And yeah, if the motive driving an organization is to maximize shareholder wealth, it's not a good source to things that are delightful.
The paradox for me is that human beings love novelty and being deeply touched and being delighted and I suspect most people, certainly me, always have a radar on for experiences that meet those needs. You might go so far as to say there is a large, unmet need in the developed world for these experiences because we spend so much in virtual corporate space and it's so bland and full of non-stop appeals to buy stuff.
The interesting question I like to play with is How do We (creators with cool stuff we've created) connect with the people who are out there are really, really want what we're creating? I'm experimenting with some ideas though they nothing whatsoever to do with algorithms and gaming the system.
Hi Judy! Yeah, that is the question -- how do we share what we're making. For now I'm really thinking on: how would I have shared this in 1982? And obviously not, like, going fully in that direction (HERE'S A MIX TAPE!) but remembering what it was like to do creative work pre-social media. I also love looking for wonder, delight, and joy, and sharing it too. But I think now for me it's more about being really thoughtful about how I share things. Both to protect my own creative energy and to not muddy the feed.
I'm experimenting with being my weird, geeky, imperfect self in my writing. And fully embodying my weird geeky self. Will this send out mystical waves to the universe and the people who want what I create? Well, that's the experiment ... Prior to the internet we published in small, local papers and snail mailed newsletters. Least that's what I remember. I think people also had stronger personal ties because they hung out in person more, many of my job opportunities for example came from personal referrals.
This is absolutely amazing. I need to check out this book. I still feel a genuine desire to make good stuff and create connections on social media, but I agree with everything you said--that it's much different than it was in the beginning, and that with more than a few minutes a day, it quickly becomes basically a swamp. I'm trying to lead with idea rather than platform. In other words, lead with my idea for a photo, drawing, comic, or silly video, and then instagram or youtube or tiktok happen to be the place where I "publish" that work. I'm hoping that will keep things at least a little more in the realm of making art rather than falling into the content mill. We'll see! I think it takes careful watching to avoid falling into that mill and being ground up entirely.
I LOVE this concept of leading with the idea rather than leading with the platform. That's so wise. And I think that will naturally lead to more interesting work in general, because then it will shift to the possibilities for the final product ("would this idea work better as a comic or a video?") and that feels so creatively interesting to me.
Oh good, I'm glad this makes sense to someone outside my head too haha! It's been working ok so far, and I just need to make it an even stronger habit.
I've always hated leg warmers - they just look 'what-the-heck-are-those-ish?'! Filterworld is coming my way via the library (67th in line) thank you for bringing to light.
I'm always super excited about a new Julie Falatko book -- just preordered Chester! And YES on art museums, and illusion setups and Jenny Offhill (well, the ones I've read, which I apparently need to broaden, stat!)
HOWEVER--and I realize this was not at all what the intent of talking about leg warmers was--I would pay a shocking amount of money to once again feel as "leggy" and cool as I did back when I was a kid wearing leg warmers; I wore the *ish out of mine. 😂 (My legs, sadly...never that twiggy again post-puberty so it's a lost cause now.) https://photos.app.goo.gl/WWr11vGufo5RUi3d8
Style ICON look at those things! Maybe we were all ruined by Flashdance? Wearing legwarmers and cutting off our sweatshirt collars (although I still do that one sometimes).
Thank you for preordering Chester!!! He's going to save the country.
That's a big 10-4 on Flashdance--which was the FIRST movie I ever saw in a movie theater! (Because my Mom didn't want to pay for a babysitter.) And I honestly think it, paired with Mr. Rogers, was part of why I was (subconsciously) super excited to go to college in Pittsburgh!
And a huge thank you to Chester--thank goodness!
Such a great post! Congrats on the book news :)
How were the Montreal bagels? So glad you had a great trip!
Love your new course and peptalk ideas -- I'm always fascinated how creators diversify their income and it has been cool to see you build out courses and other ideas.
I've felt so more in tune with myself since taking your Map course. Thanks again!
The bagels were EXCELLENT. Although I'd posit that the best bagels in the world are in my Maine town (https://www.scratchbakingco.com/).
I'm so, so glad you've been feeling more in tune with yourself. Honestly, I have too! And yeah, the last year or so has been all about diversifying the income. Or just: getting an income. Last year wasn't a great year as far as author income, and I'm trying to do what I can to make money in other ways that are still author-adjacent. I'm definitely playing around a lot, to see what works. (Maybe playing around too much? I do wonder sometimes if the best route is still to ignore everyone and write for four hours a day and then stare into space for the rest of the hours.)
Ooh good to know about the bagels!
I'm so glad to hear you are as well :) And that is so smart. I'm just on the debut end of things, but I've heard from a lot of people that you can't really count on a steady income in this career -- even after being established or having a crazy awesome year. Which kinda sucks haha. So I think it is genius to figure out ways to have some more reliable income. But also...it feels like classes and workshops and critiques take a lot of extra hours, so I'm trying to wrap my brain around how to make sure I have the bandwidth to make books while also trying to build those other forms of income. It is a lot to juggle!
All this to say...what you've done so far is really cool and impressive :)
Filterworld sounds incredible. Thanks for putting it on my radar. Thanks also for this incredible piece, which says out loud so many of the things about art and creating and social media that I’ve been quietly thinking.
Let me know if you read Filterworld!
Julie, I created a Facebook Page a few years back that eventually got 500,000 followers. I made videos that took me all of 6-8 hours to make, and a lot of times they'd go viral pretty easily. Why? Cause I made videos about the Philippines, the social media capital of the world, and Filipinos really appreciated that and shared my videos everywhere all the time. I grew quickly, even though a lot of the videos that I made were objectively trash. I deleted my page a few years after I started it. There is so much B.S. on the internet today. So much copying and growth hacking and little to no real substance anywhere. It's really hard to find. But I found some substance here with you. I'm subscribing. I hope you keep writing!!
The fact that the videos took 6-8 hours to make is really what stands out to me. And maybe that means they weren't actually "trash" -- but also, if you can put all that energy into that, you clearly could put that energy into something else. I've really been thinking so much about how much social media aligned seamlessly with my desire for external validation, and fed it constantly, so suddenly I forgot what it was like to have any *internal* validation. It has really been a process to break away from that and get back to making and doing things without showing them to people on the internet constantly.
Julie I feel that. I've had a very complicated relationship with social media the last few years, and I've had a downturn the last 18 months or so where people just seemed less interested in what I was saying. I'm starting to regain a little of the old validation I used to feel here on Substack, and now I feel like I have to play a little defense and keep reminding myself that no matter how well a post does or how well my writing gets received, I need to understand that my value as a person is not attached to any of that shit. I wasn't playing ANY defense in the past in this regard, and I think I got really screwed up because of it. Anyway, thanks for the thoughtful comment back.
Yeah, that all feels the same for me. Social media is such an easy place to get validation, and it often can feel like (and maybe is) actual true validation. It took me a while before I realized the effect it was having on me, and I've spent a few years getting back to myself and trusting myself again.
OK so first, I'd like Chester Barkingham to be our president. I bet he likes most humans and wants them to be happy. I think dogs are better people than people. At the very least we'd have a lot more fun!
I value originality and creativity and I have an internal radar that is always scanning the world for "delight:" ideas, people, things that combine the element of surprise with joy. And yeah, if the motive driving an organization is to maximize shareholder wealth, it's not a good source to things that are delightful.
The paradox for me is that human beings love novelty and being deeply touched and being delighted and I suspect most people, certainly me, always have a radar on for experiences that meet those needs. You might go so far as to say there is a large, unmet need in the developed world for these experiences because we spend so much in virtual corporate space and it's so bland and full of non-stop appeals to buy stuff.
The interesting question I like to play with is How do We (creators with cool stuff we've created) connect with the people who are out there are really, really want what we're creating? I'm experimenting with some ideas though they nothing whatsoever to do with algorithms and gaming the system.
Hi Judy! Yeah, that is the question -- how do we share what we're making. For now I'm really thinking on: how would I have shared this in 1982? And obviously not, like, going fully in that direction (HERE'S A MIX TAPE!) but remembering what it was like to do creative work pre-social media. I also love looking for wonder, delight, and joy, and sharing it too. But I think now for me it's more about being really thoughtful about how I share things. Both to protect my own creative energy and to not muddy the feed.
I'm experimenting with being my weird, geeky, imperfect self in my writing. And fully embodying my weird geeky self. Will this send out mystical waves to the universe and the people who want what I create? Well, that's the experiment ... Prior to the internet we published in small, local papers and snail mailed newsletters. Least that's what I remember. I think people also had stronger personal ties because they hung out in person more, many of my job opportunities for example came from personal referrals.
This is absolutely amazing. I need to check out this book. I still feel a genuine desire to make good stuff and create connections on social media, but I agree with everything you said--that it's much different than it was in the beginning, and that with more than a few minutes a day, it quickly becomes basically a swamp. I'm trying to lead with idea rather than platform. In other words, lead with my idea for a photo, drawing, comic, or silly video, and then instagram or youtube or tiktok happen to be the place where I "publish" that work. I'm hoping that will keep things at least a little more in the realm of making art rather than falling into the content mill. We'll see! I think it takes careful watching to avoid falling into that mill and being ground up entirely.
I LOVE this concept of leading with the idea rather than leading with the platform. That's so wise. And I think that will naturally lead to more interesting work in general, because then it will shift to the possibilities for the final product ("would this idea work better as a comic or a video?") and that feels so creatively interesting to me.
Oh good, I'm glad this makes sense to someone outside my head too haha! It's been working ok so far, and I just need to make it an even stronger habit.
I've always hated leg warmers - they just look 'what-the-heck-are-those-ish?'! Filterworld is coming my way via the library (67th in line) thank you for bringing to light.
Oh good, let me know what you think of it!
Very succinct! Thank you for explaining it so clearly!